Top News:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Wang, Rodriguez ready to throw — MIAMI — Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is expected to pitch in an extended spring training game in a week, according to general manager Mike Rizzo. — Wang hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues in almost two years because of shoulder problems.
RELATED:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Riggleman looking out for Broderick — MIAMI — Don't look for Nationals reliever Brian Broderick to appear in tight games anytime soon. Manager Jim Riggleman said the right-hander will only take the mound if the team has a comfortable lead or trails by a significant margin.
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Slumping Morse gets night off — MIAMI — Nationals manager Jim Riggleman decided to sit Michael Morse against the Marlins on Thursday because the left fielder is in a 2-for-17 slump to start the season. Laynce Nix got the start instead. — The right-handed-hitting Morse was arguably …
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Final: Indians 1, Red Sox 0 — Game over: Indians 1, Red Sox 0 — No words can describe this start except for one: AWFUL. — The game ended today when pinch-runner Darnell McDonald over-slid the bag at second base on a ball hit to the infield by J.D. Drew.
Discussion:
Surviving Grady, Over the Monster, baseballmusings.com, Baseball Nation and WEEI
RELATED:
John Tomase / Boston Herald:
Horror in full force — How scared are you, Nation? — CLEVELAND — There's a scene in pretty much every horror movie when a hot chick alone in the woods yells it's not funny anymore and says she's scared. Her boyfriend doesn't answer. Things will not end well for her.
Discussion:
Over the Monster, The House That Dewey Built and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
AaronGleeman.com:
Tsuyoshi Nishioka fractures fibula in collision at second base — Tsuyoshi Nishioka's rough first week with the Twins got considerably worse this afternoon, as he suffered a fractured fibula when Nick Swisher slid very hard into second base to break up a potential double play.
Discussion:
Twinkie Town, Yahoo! Sports and HardballTalk
RELATED:
Rachel Cohen / Associated Press:
Nishioka breaks leg; Twins lose to Yankees 4-3 — NEW YORK—Tsuyoshi Nishioka needs to learn how to elude American baserunners trying to break up double plays. That will have to wait awhile after the Minnesota Twins' heralded Japanese import broke his left leg Thursday in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Dan Graziano / New York Times:
Twins' Misery Against Yankees Is Compounded by Injury
Discussion:
Twinkie Town and Bats
Canadian Press:
Cahill solid, A's offence does enough late to beat Blue Jays — TORONTO — The Oakland Athletics salvaged the finale of a three-game series against Toronto on Thursday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. — Connor Jackson knocked in the winning run …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and TSN.ca
RELATED:
Robert Macleod / Globe and Mail:
Jays: Escobar feeling fine, but won't play in series finale
Discussion:
USA Today and Yahoo! Sports
National Post:
Escobar diagnosed with ‘mild’ concussion
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Bluebird Banter
Nelson Wyatt / Global Toronto:
Blue Jays could play a game in Montreal
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter and HardballTalk
Michael Baron / MetsBlog.com:
Today's Game: Mets vs. Phillies at 3 PM — The Mets (3-2) will look for the series victory this afternoon against the Phillies (4-1) at Citizens Bank Park. Game time is 3;05 pm. — Here is today's starting lineup, courtesy of the team's Twitter account: — Jon Niese (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will start for the Mets.
Discussion:
Phillies Nation and Real Dirty Mets
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Halladay throws seven scoreless as Phillies crush Mets
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and Phillies Nation
Rob Maaddi / Associated Press:
Mets lose to Phillies, head home for opener
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
MILWAUKEE — Right-hander Marco Estrada will remain with the Brewers after his effective start on Wednesday, and he could pitch again earlier than April 16, the next date the club originally expected to next need a fifth starter. — “We're trying to still figure that out,” manager Ron Roenicke said.
RELATED:
Joe Smith / St. Petersburg Times:
Tampa Bay Rays: quote of day Manny on what he needs to prove; quote of day 2 Maddon on road trip; turn back the clock — The dish — When/where: 2:10 today; U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago — TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish) — Starting pitchers — WHITE SOX: RHP Edwin Jackson (1-0, 3.00)
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com, South Side Sox, Yahoo! Sports, HardballTalk, DRaysBay and MLB Rumors
David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Ten reasons the Mets aren't that bad — A few days before the season began I was out running with Matt, one of my editors. Matt is a Mets fan and I was having a good time threatening to write a “Why the Mets could be the worst team in the National League” post.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
RELATED:
David Waldstein / New York Times:
Pelfrey's Problems Show Mets Are Missing an Ace
Discussion:
New York Post, NY Daily News, MetsOnline, Newsday, MetsBlog.com and Mets Fever
Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Minor League Transactions: March 30-April 5 — Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed minor league contracts, replacing major league pacts with the same organization. — • Members of the 40-man roster who are on optional assignment in the minors must sign minor league contracts …
Discussion:
ESPN
ESPN:
Father: Bryan Stow is stable — The father of the San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten at Dodger Stadium last Thursday says Bryan Stow is “stable, and the vital signs ... they're looking good”, but he added that the entire ordeal is “very hard.” — Stow remains in a medically induced coma …
Discussion:
Mike Scioscia's tragic illness and The Mets Police
Stephen Hawkins / Associated Press:
Undefeated Texas rolling with best start since '96 — ARLINGTON, Texas—The Texas Rangers are on quite a roll. — After going to their first World Series last year, the Rangers are now the American League's only undefeated team after an impressive opening week at home. They are 6-0 for the first time in 15 years.
